CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – A municipal vice mayor in Misamis Oriental is facing charges of qualified trafficking for allegedly checking into a motel with a minor last year.
Prosecutor Liezyl Dacar-Ecol gave Talisayan Vice Mayor Carlito Rayon until today to submit his counter-affidavit.
The 16-year-old girl claimed Rayon brought her to the Queensland Motel on Oct. 28. The complaint did not indicate why it took her five months to report the incident.
City prosecutor Fidel Macauyag said Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Act provides a 10-year prescriptive period in filing the case.
Under the law, any adult who brings a minor who is not a relative to a hotel or motel is committing qualified trafficking.
The girl’s complaint was supported by a police report.
Rayon refused to give his side to journalists when he appeared before Dacar-Ecol last Thursday.